Falconeers is a restorationist rock and roll project based in the US. With veteran members who’ve combined their passion and creativity to write a double album, out of which ‘Volume One’ was released in late 2023. The album spans 19 songs, and that alone is an achievement compared to countless bands today who would rather play cover songs in their live shows to play it safe and keep a good public opinion of them. The band is composed of Steve Bell on drums, Nathan Gavacs on keyboards, Tom Deinzer on rhythm guitar, Mike Mietlicki on bass, and Christopher Squier on lead guitar and vocals, and the record ‘Volume One’ is full of fresh yet nostalgic moments, so I decided to break down each song and what I like about it.
Best Days – This song defines what it means to be an arena rock anthem. A delicious bass line cuts clear through vintage produced guitars and keyboards, with the drums filling through the verses and blasting throughout the anthemic chorus. Every single nostalgic lyric, every single guitar note, and every keyboard or synth melody is perfectly timed and arranged in the most exemplary 80s setting you can think of. The vocals have some nasal quality and a little bit of rasp and overdrive to keep you hooked and to keep the raw rock and roll feeling we all love and anticipate. From the opening song, we can already tell these guys don’t mess around.
The Wilderness of Our Hearts – This one feels more like a movie soundtrack from the late 80s, early 90s era. It will remind you of your favorite Guns N Roses or Skid Row power ballad, except these guys have a modern and polished production more suitable for today’s music market. I loved this one.
Set The Sky on Fire – This one has a little bit of a faster tempo compared to the previous song. The big arena drums that almost feel like drum machines will remind you of bands like Def Leppard and the wonderful vocals are a bit reminiscent of Aerosmith, but still so unique to hold their own memorability. This band makes you re-discover all these classic rock nuances, and fall in love with them all over again.
Thirtysomething Tragedy – This one’s a bit different. The organ effect on the keyboards and the backing vocals give it a special atmosphere, and it has one of the best choruses on the album.
A Million Parts of A Million Stars – Distorted muted guitar chords, powerful vocals, thunderous drums, sweet atmospheric keyboards, and an extremely catchy chorus make this one of the songs that stood out for me and quickly became one of my favorites from these guys.
The Price – This one is another one of the softer tracks, with its powerful drums and emotional vocals it has the potential to be a crowd pleaser at their live shows.
Just Be Happy – The keyboard melody is the star of the song, and the titular question during the chorus is one of the album’s catchiest moments for me. The raspy emotional vocals here are nothing short of perfect rock n roll bliss.
Wings of Angels – This song has a beautiful clean guitar chord progression which builds up with the vocals, then the keyboards and the rhythm section join as the guitar gets some crunchy distortion and cool effects. The guitar solo is sure to give you goosebumps as well.
Don’t Wait Up – Killer piano mixed with killer vocals…the only thing wrong with this track is how quickly it ends. If there’s any pianist out there who hears this song, I’m sure they’ll appreciate the little key change they do right after the chorus. A small but brilliant gimmick.
Infinite – A tender and emotional acoustic ballad that serves as a breather between all the other songs with full power, but it also has some very complicated vocal lines. It’s nice to see that we’re halfway through the album and these guys are still bringing new ideas to the table.
Farther – This song brings back the powerful pace we heard since the start of the album. The synths are exceptionally powerful on this one, and the rhythm section does an amazing job of keeping the listener energized throughout the track’s duration.
Ophelia Forgive Me – This one has a very different and unique rhythm compared to the rest of the album. It feels like some of the Pop Rock hits that were filling the mainstream charts way back in the 80s, except for the Falconeers touch that we came to know and love in this album – the carefully made verses and the powerfully present guitars. The bass guitar adds an amazing touch to this song, and it stands out most.
Fading By Degrees – This song will make you feel liem you’re traveling through space and time. I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the phenomenal guitar solo. It’s one of those songs you wanna put your lighter or flash up for at a live show.
Lost Bird – This one’s also an acoustic ballad, but with a more stripped down approach and some backing vocals that give it a more anthemic atmosphere.
When Heroes Hide – This one has a tremolo effect, and some calm rhythms reminiscent of southern rock, blues, and bluegrass. It still blows my mind how a new element or idea is being introduced at the 15th track!! There’s no single commercial band that would dare to do this in 2024, except for these phenomenal dudes. The clean guitars and angelic chorus vocals made me fall in love with this song even more.
Sleepless – This one is sort of a piano interlude, and the vocals are slow paced…almost like spoken word or a speech.
There’s A Lot I’ll Answer For You – This one’s got calm verses and a big chorus to contradict it. It’s one of the album’s most movie soundtrack-like tracks and I loved its lyrics so much.
California (Queen of Light) – This track has the album’s most special vocals, if you ask me. There’s a lot of high notes and some overdrive during the chorus that will make this one another crowd pleaser getting everyone screaming at the top of their lungs just trying to hit those notes.
Here’s To The Losers – These guys decided to close the album with another anthemic number, with some complicated lines, powerful lyrics, enthralling vocals, and some flawless guitar lines. This is the way to leave listeners hooked and wanting even more than nineteen tracks from your amazing brand of pure rock n roll.
